Escondido city officials have scheduled a 6 p.m. Friday public forum to discuss a small Catholic university's proposal to take over nearly an entire block in downtown Escondido for a campus.

The forum will take place in the Mitchell Room of City Hall, 201 N. Broadway.

John Paul the Great Catholic University wants to move into the Mingei International Museum at Maple Street and Grand Avenue, AmericaWest Bank across the street and H. Johnson Furniture at Broadway and Second Avenue. In addition, the school would use part of the nearby Latitude 33 apartment complex as dormitories.

The university is focused primarily on film, animation and business degrees. It's now located in Scripps Ranch.

Downtown zoning rules prohibit schools on the first floor of Grand, but city officials have said the City Council might change that.

The university has 90 on-campus, 45 commuting and 50 online students. The capacity of the proposed downtown Escondido campus is 600, which will be reached in less than a decade based on projections.

The university plans to begin building a permanent campus in 2020 somewhere in North County to house 1,200 students.